Queenstown to get $85m for infrastructure
Queenstown will get $85 million to spend on shovel-ready projects including a town centre upgrade and new arterial routes.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the package in Queenstown yesterday and said it would unlock about $300m of projects in the town and create about 320 direct jobs.
The money will be split between the Queenstown Town Centre ($35m) project and Stage One of the Queenstown Arterials ($50m).
‘‘This stunning town is an internationally-renowned tourism attraction and unfortunately the local economy is experiencing a major downturn as a result of Covid19,’’ Ardern said.
‘‘There is no denying that this region, with our borders closed, will feel significant impacts.
The Government was supporting the tourism industry but needed to create other job opportunities, she said.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult said he had been pushing for the projects for a long time.
‘‘This is a major shot in the arm for our district.’’
The district had major unemployment issues, he said.
‘‘If you can’t wield a knife in a kitchen maybe you can swing a shovel on a construction site.’’
Ardern said the district’s GDP was about $3 billion and the local economy was growing at more than twice the rate of the national economy before Covid-19.
The projects would ensure the construction sector did not suffer as the tourism sector had.
Construction was the second largest contributor to Queenstown Lakes’ district’s economic growth, employing about 4300 people – about 14 per cent of all jobs.
The arterials project was a strong candidate to be fast tracked under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Bill which would see it able to get under way within 12 months.
The town centre streetscape project would be worth $57m, with the
Queenstown Lakes District Council contributing $22m.
It included street-scaping works, cycle and walkways, and was expected to create about 130 jobs.
Construction would be under way within three months and take about a year to complete.
The projects would also mean the council could proceed with a new town centre Public Transport Hub, costing $25m and creating about 100 further jobs.
Both projects would also support Project Manawa, a joint investment from the council and Nga¯i Tahu Property, which would see new civil buildings, civic amenities and commercial development at the edge of the arterial road at a cost of approximately $120m.